LAN Airlines March System Passenger Traffic Up 14.7% - Quick Facts

4/10/2012 4:28 PM ET

LAN Airlines S.A. (LFL) and its subsidiaries reported its preliminary monthly traffic for March 2012 compared to March 2011.

System passenger traffic increased 14.7% as capacity rose 8.2%. As a result, the Company's load factor for the month increased 4.7 points to 82.4%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 68.5% of the month's total passenger traffic.

The company stated that the International capacity expansion was mainly driven by an increase in operations on certain regional routes, as well as routes to Mexico and the Caribbean, partially offset by reduced capacity on routes to Europe.

Cargo traffic rose 2.7% as capacity increased 0.8%. As a consequence, the cargo load factor increased 1.3 points to 71.3%. The low increase in cargo capacity is a result of no additional freighters being incorporated since January 2011 in addition to decreased availability in the bellies of passenger aircraft. The increase in traffic is driven by anticipated demand on certain seasonal products.

During March, 86.6% of the Company's total flights left on time based on a fifteen-minute standard. This represented an increase of 3.3 points compared to March 2011.

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